The rustic wooden sign of Hongye Town swung gently in the evening breeze, its carved maple leaf just visible in the fading light.
As they passed through the simple gate, the world shifted from the deep, untamed shadows of the forest to the warm, flickering glow of oil lamps and torches.
The town was quieting for the night, with the sounds of the forest replaced by the distant clatter of dishes from an inn and the murmur of last-minute conversations in the streets.
Liu Xiu surveyed the quiet main street. "The carriage service will be closed for the day," he stated, his practical nature assessing the situation.
Before he could suggest a course of action, Yu Tianxin spoke up, his tone attempting to mimic his teacher's pragmatism but carrying a hint of something else—haste.
"We should just rent rooms at an inn for the night. We can secure a carriage for her first thing in the morning."
He gestured vaguely towards a decent-looking establishment, the "Wayfarer's Rest," its windows glowing invitingly.
A knowing look flickered in Liu Xiu's eyes, so brief Mei almost missed it. He understood perfectly.
If the priority was simply to dispatch Mei back to Nuoding, they could easily rouse a carriage master with a hefty bonus or flash the insignia of the Lightning Tyrant Blue Dragon Sect to command immediate service.
The young master, however, was constructing a reason to stay.
"A sensible suggestion," Liu Xiu agreed neutrally, not calling attention to his student's transparent motive. "We are all tired. A night's rest will do us good."
They entered the inn, the warm, smoky air smelling of stew and polished wood.
As Liu Xiu arranged for three rooms, Mei reached into the pocket of her clothes, her fingers searching for the small pouch that held her savings. Her heart sank.
The pocket was empty. She patted her other pockets, a growing panic making her movements frantic.
Nothing.
It must have fallen out during her terrifying flight, tumbling from the sky to the vastness of the Star Dou Great Forest.
She was not just lost; she was penniless.
"I... it seems my money is gone," she admitted, her voice small with embarrassment.
The confident idol was gone, replaced by a stranded, helpless little girl.
Yu Tianxin, who had been trying to look disinterestedly at a wall hanging, turned at her words. Seeing the genuine distress on her face, "Don't worry about it," he said, his voice gruff but not unkind.
You didn't choose to be kidnapped by a spirit beast. Consider it the sect's courtesy." He said it as if it were a trivial matter, a small line item in a vast ledger.
"B-But..." Mei stammered, feeling the weight of the debt.
Liu Xiu placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He is right, Miss Mei. Do not trouble yourself. Focus on getting a proper rest. We will see you safely on your way tomorrow."
His tone was final, brooking no argument.
Gratitude, warm and relieving, washed over her. "Thank you," she whispered, bowing her head slightly to both of them. "Thank you so much."
The innkeeper handed them keys, and they trudged up the creaking wooden stairs. The hallway was dim, lit by a single lantern. Liu Xiu pointed to three doors in a row.
"My room is at the end. Young Master Yu, you are here. Miss Mei, this one is yours." He handed her a heavy iron key.
"Goodnight, Teacher Liu. Goodnight, Young Master Yu," Mei said, offering them a tired but sincere smile.
Yu Tianxin merely gave a curt nod, avoiding her eyes as he fumbled with his own key. "Just... get some sleep."
Mei turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. The room was simple but clean, with a wooden floor, a small washstand, and a narrow window looking out over the darkening town.
But her eyes were locked on one thing: the bed. Its mattress looked thick and inviting, covered with a simple, homespun blanket.
As the door clicked shut behind her, the last vestiges of her energy vanished. The adrenaline that had sustained her finally seeped away, leaving behind a bone-deep weariness. She didn't even bother to light the lamp.
With a small, desperate sigh, she made a beeline for the bed, her legs feeling like lead weights. She didn't sit; she simply collapsed forward, falling face-first into the soft, yielding mattress.
The scent of clean straw and sun-dried cotton filled her senses. She lay there, unmoving, her body sinking into the first true comfort she had felt all day.
Oh, the sweet, sweet embrace of a horizontal surface,
Ai sighed dramatically in her mind, her voice also laced with exhaustion. I didn't know I could feel this tired.
The day has been long,
Luminous agreed. The forest was bright and loud. This quiet darkness is... peaceful.
Mei rolled onto her back, staring up at the dark, beamed ceiling. The events of the day played through her mind like a chaotic dream.
Waking up in Nuoding, the simple commission, the playful Silverwool Sheep, the terrifying screech of the hawk, the dizzying flight, the heart-stopping fall, and then... him.
Yu Tianxin. The arrogant, blushing, infuriating, and unexpectedly decent boy who had literally caught her out of the sky.
He's not so bad ? she thought, her mind drifting. For a tsundere dragon boy.
He has potential,
Ai conceded, her voice a sleepy murmur.
A diamond in the rough. Needs a lot of polishing, but the raw material is there. And he did pay for your room.
Mei smiled in the darkness. It had been the hardest day of her life in this new world. She had faced death, been utterly lost, and discovered she was a freak of nature in the best possible way.
As exhaustion finally pulled her under, her last conscious thought was a simple one: tomorrow was a new day.
____________________________________________________________
Let's see how Tang San and Xiao Wu are doing
While Mei succumbed to exhaustion in a Hongye Town inn, hundreds of miles away, the evening was settling peacefully over Holy Soul Village.
The air here was thin and clear, carrying the scent of damp earth from the recently tended fields and the woody smoke from evening cookfires.
The simplicity of the village was a world away from the spirit-beast-infested wilderness or the bustling academy life in Nuoding City.
Inside the simple, familiar confines of Tang San's home, the day was winding down.
His father, Tang Hao, had disappeared, stating in his letter that he had something to take care of. The main room was quiet, lit by a single, guttering oil lamp that cast long, dancing shadows on the walls.
Tang San was performing his nightly routine, meticulously cleaning up after the evening meal. His movements were efficient and calm, a reflection of his disciplined nature.
Xiao Wu, meanwhile, was fidgeting. She had been unusually quiet since that hug in the flower field, perched on a worn wooden stool and tracing patterns on the rough-hewn table with her finger.
"Something's missing," she announced suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence. Her voice, usually so full of brash confidence, was softer, almost pensive.
Tang San paused, a wooden bowl in his hand. "What is it?"
"It's too quiet," Xiao Wu said, her brow furrowed. "I mean, it's always quiet here, but... it feels different." She hugged her knees to her chest, a gesture that made her seem younger than her years.
"It's Mei. I keep expecting to hear her humming one of those strange little songs from her hometown or asking one of her questions about the most ordinary things."
A look of understanding crossed Tang San's face. He felt it too. The pink-haired girl with the mesmerizing spirit and the kind, observant eyes had carved a space for herself in their lives with surprising speed. Her absence was a subtle void in the rhythm of their days.
"I'm sure she's fine at the academy," Tang San said, his voice reassuring though he himself felt the odd emptiness of the house.
"She's probably studying or practicing."
"I know that!" Xiao Wu retorted, but without any real heat. She hopped off the stool, her restlessness propelling her to the small window to stare out at the dark village lane.
"It's just... when we go back, we should bring her something. A souvenir!"
Tang San blinked. "A souvenir? From Holy Soul Village?" The idea was almost amusing. Their village had little to offer beyond necessities.
"Yes! A souvenir!" Xiao Wu insisted, turning to him with her hands on her hips, her momentary melancholy replaced by determined enthusiasm.
"It doesn't have to be fancy. Just something to show we were thinking of her. Old Man Zhang carves those little wooden animals for the children sometimes. Or maybe Mrs. Li has some of that special honey candy left..."
Her eyes lit up as the plan formed in her mind.
"We'll go find something first thing in the morning before we head back to the academy!"
A small, fond smile touched Tang San's lips. This was the Xiao Wu he knew—her heart as wide and open as the sky. Her impulses often led to trouble, but this one was born of pure, simple affection, and these simple plans for the future were a comfort.
"Alright," he agreed easily. "We can do that."
Satisfied, Xiao Wu's energy seemed to return in full force. She bounded over to her sleeping mat, already chattering about what kind of gift would be best.
"It has to be something nice... something that suits her. Not too flashy, but special. Maybe a little rabbit, since she's so quiet and quick sometimes... or a bird..."
Tang San listened to her happy planning as he put the last bowl away.
The quiet of the night settled around them once more, but it was a different quiet now, filled with the warm anticipation of a future reunion and the unspoken understanding that their small circle of three was becoming a foundation they could all rely on.
In their minds, Mei was safe in her dormitory, and they would return to her with a small token of their friendship.
They had no way of knowing that their friend was not in her bed at Nuoding Academy, but was instead sleeping in a strange inn, her life irrevocably changed.
They were unaware of the Jeweled Hawk from last time, the terrifying flight, or the second young master of the Blue Tyrant Lightning Dragon Sect.